Of Soccer and Music
by Swag Giraffe
Summary: A new girl comes to Raimon, and instantly hits it off with the soccer team. But Shindou thinks something about her is familiar. What is the nice but odd girl hiding? Main pairing ShindouxTori(OC), with some TenmaxAoi. Please R&R! :)
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello all! This is my first fanfic, I hope you like it! Please review, I would love your input, ways I can improve, etc. Thank you so much for reading! :) Enjoy!**

Prologue

"Morning practice always flies by so fast…" The first-year captain of Raimon Jr. High's soccer team sighed. His companions smiled as they made their way to the main school building. One of them, a slim boy with brown hair that fell in waves to his shoulders, chuckled lightly. "Of course _you_ would say that, Tenma." From in between the two, a voice piped up, "Yeah Shindou-senpai, 'cause he's a soccer freak, just like Endou-kantaku!" Shindou and the speaker laughed as Tenma flushed, embarrassed. "Oi oi, Shinsuke, I don't know about that…"

A deeper, gentle voice spoke from beside the brown-haired captain, "No, I'm pretty sure Shinsuke's right, Tenma." The now thoroughly embarrassed youth covered his face with his hands and cried, "Tsurugi! Come on, guys, stop it! I love soccer, so what? That doesn't make me a freak!" Shindou grinned reassuringly at his friend and spoke in his smooth voice, "don't worry, Tenma, we mean it in the best possible way." Tenma sighed in defeat as they neared the school building. "Whatever you say, Shindou-senpai…" Shindou's laugh died in his throat as Tsurugi interrupted, "Who's that?"

The second-year student's gaze followed that of his junior, and his eyebrows furrowed. "I have no idea…" The person they were all staring at was a girl, a little shorter than Shindou, and she looked a little bit nervous. She lingered outside the gates, as if debating whether or not to enter the school grounds, worriedly twirling a lock of soft-looking light, but bright pink hair that was medium-long, tied up into a high ponytail. The small group continued to watch her as she stood uncertainly, looking as though she wanted to run. But then, she took a big breath, set her jaw, and stepped off the sidewalk. Tenma grinned, "hey! Let's see if she needs anything!"

And before Shindou could tell him that she probably wanted to go to her class and not be made late, the three first-year students had set off in the girl's direction, Shinsuke straightening the light blue sweatband he wore around his hair that stuck up every which way, and Tenma already prepared to ask the poor girl if she loved soccer. Sighing, Shindou caught up to them, and reminded himself to stick with Kirino or Sangoku next time he left practice.

"Hi there!" The petite girl turned quickly, slightly startled at Tenma's loud greeting. She smiled, a pretty gesture that went all the way to her turquoise eyes, and made Shindou's stomach do an odd flip-flop. She was really pretty...

"Oh, hello." Her sweet and gentle voice brought Shindou back into reality. Tenma offered her his right hand. "I'm Matsukaze Tenma!" She reached out and grasped his hand in a warm handshake, "Kimiyama Tori." Tenma smiled happily and then gestured to all of his friends in turn. "This is Tsurugi Kyousuke," The navy-haired boy inclined his head in greeting. Tori smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Tsurugi-san."

Tenma continued, "And Nishizono Shinsuke," The really short goalkeeper waved a hand energetically. Tori's smile grew wider at the sigh of the playful boy. "Good to meet you, Nishizono-san." Tenma waved a hand in the direction of his last companion, "and this is Shindou Takuto-senpai." When the new girl's gaze landed on Shindou, he felt his face heat up, and his lips curled into a small smile. She rekindled her smile, just for him, and said, "It's a pleasure, Shindou-san." Shindou inclined his head, responding immediately, "the pleasure is all mine, Kimiyama-san." The girl shook her head emphatically, "please, call me Tori." The boys all nodded.

"So, Tori-san, where are you headed?" Tenma, ever the conversationalist, asked. The girl shrugged, then said, "I'm heading for the principal's office. My, um, cousin said he'd give me a class schedule." Tenma grinned and grabbed her hand. "I'll take you there! See you in class, Tsurugi and Shinsuke!" And, just like that, he dragged her away.

Tsurugi shoved his hands in the pocket of his purple slacks, the matching elbow length cape he always wore swishing around as he did so. He almost never wore the school uniform. "Well, I don't intend to be late for class. See you, Shindou." He motioned for Shinsuke to follow him, and the two set off for their homeroom. Shindou shook his head, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He turned and headed after them into the building, silently wondering where that adorable girl had come from.

**A/N: I hope you liked it, I should be updating fairly soon. Don't forget to review, just a little note with what you thought would mean a lot to me. **

**Thanks again! :D  
~Swaggy-chan**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey there, mina!**

**Thank you so much for your review, Kiko Akira! That was so awesome, it means a lot to me!**

**Oh, and my apologies for the, ahem, duplication of the Prologue. My older brother was bothering me while I was trying to format it, and apparently I hit Ctrl-V after my A/N, so... yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Hopefully it won't happen again. :)**

**Thanks to all who are reading this story, and I hope you enjoy it! :D This is one of my personal favorite chapters. (Yes, I have it all written, I just have to post it. :D) It's funny. **

**Oh, and I forgot this...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inazuma Eleven Go, it's the property of Level-5. (Lucky ducks...) I do, however, own my OC, Kimiyama Tori.**

Chapter One

Shindou entered his classroom a minute before the bell rang. As he slipped into his seat, his best friend leaned over from the desk to his left, and said quietly, "you're cutting it kinda close, Shindou." The pianist sighed. "Yeah, funny story on that later, Kirino." Kirino sat straight again, his salmon pink pigtails swishing.

The teacher entered the room, a middle-aged man that was tall and skinny, with wiry glasses that matched his amount of hair. He stood in front of his pupils, smiling. "Class, we have a new student today. Come in, dear." The man turned to the door, motioning for someone. The door opened a little bit, and a petite girl entered the room, the short skirt of her uniform brushing a couple of inches above her slender knees.

Shindou gasped rather loudly, earning him several stares from various corners of the room. Sensei spoke again, "this is Kimiyama Tori. Everyone, please be very welcoming to her." Tori, hands clasped in front of her, bowed respectfully to her new classmates. Smiling, Sensei directed her to the only empty desk in the room - to the right of Shindou.

The boy didn't know what, but something about this girl sent tingles down his arms and flutterings in his stomach. As she flashed him a small smile, he had the odd feeling that he'd seen her somewhere before, not just that morning on the grounds. He just couldn't shake it. As she took her seat in the desk beside him, he smiled back, wondering where he'd seen that gorgeous smile before.

His ponderings were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. A voice whispered in his ear, "she's pretty, huh?" Shindou turned his head slightly to see Hayami, who sat behind him. Ears red, he nodded slightly. Yes, she was pretty. _Very_ pretty. But he tried not to think about her as Sensei began the day with a math lesson. Soon, he was absorbed in the wonderful world of algebra.

* * *

"Yeah, and she's really pretty," Hayami said, turning slightly pink as he did. Hamano, Hayami's best friend, laughed. "Haha, someone likes the new girl!" The redhead glared at the older boy, turning even more pink as he adjusted his round spectacles. "D-Do not!" Hamano, with his love of good-naturedly teasing people, continued to give his pal a hard time.

Kirino glanced at Shindou, who was deep in thought. "Ne, Shindou, are you okay?" His friend nodded, speaking in a curious tone of voice, "I'm fine. But why did that girl transfer to Raimon, anyway? Who is she?" Kirino shrugged. "Why don't you ask her?"

"Hmm, let's see… 'Hayami Tori'. Yeah, that's cute, I like it!" Hamano declared across the room. "H-Hamano-kun!" Hayami had crumpled onto a couch in the soccer club, curled in a ball, moaning and covering his now scarlet face. Sangoku, Kurumada and Amagi were laughing at their fellow third-year's teasing.

Suddenly, the club door opened, and Tenma burst through. "Hey, mina! Guess what?! We have a new member!" Everyone turned and looked at their excited captain. He stepped to the side and revealed… Tori. "E-Eh?!" All the second-years' jaws dropped.

"S-She plays soccer?" Kirino asked, bewildered. Tenma nodded eagerly, "yeah, she _loves_ soccer!" Tori smiled shyly and gave a small bow as she introduced herself. "I'm Kimiyama Tori. It's good to be here, mina-san!" Hamano glanced over at Hayami and raised an eyebrow, grinning wickedly.

Sangoku chuckled heartily, "well, we'll have to give her a test, then. How good a player would you say you are, Kimiyama-san?" The girl smiled timidly, waving her hand in a _so-so_ gesture. "I'm alright, I guess. And please, call me Tori. That goes for all of you." She mocked glaring at several of the members, earning her a few laughs.

Kurumada stood from where he had been sitting on the couch and stretched his arms. "Well, let's give you the entrance exam, Tori-san." Tori smiled at the black-haired defender, her turquoise eyes twinkling. "Hai!" Tenma and Shinsuke grabbed her hands again and dragged her away.

The rest of the team stood and followed, Hayami trying to suppress a now hysterical Hamano, who apparently agreed that Tori was pretty… and perfect for his friend. Kariya, the teal-haired defender that usually teased people also, rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Hamano-kun, leave poor Hayami-kun alone…"

The dark-haired midfielder clutched his sides as he tried in vain to steady his breathing. "F-Fine, for now, I guess…" Kirino chuckled and turned to Shindou. "Well, at least she's a good sport. She puts up with Tenma and Shinsuke pulling her around everywhere." Shindou nodded, smiling. "Well, I should stop brooding over why she seems familiar and just get to know her. Looks like she'll be on our team, after all."

* * *

"It's nice to meet you all," Tori bowed yet again to the soccer team and managers as they stood on the field, after Tenma had finished introductions for them all. Aoi, the dark blue haired manager, smiled happily. "It's so great to have a girl on the team! I can't wait to see your plays."

Tori blushed slightly, scratching her head. "A-Arigato…" Tenma opened his mouth, but was interrupted by an adult voice behind him. "Well well, what have we here?" Raimon's captain grinned wildly and whirled Tori around so that she was face to face with a cheerful, brown haired man, with an orange sweatband around his forehead.

"Endou-kantoku! This is Kimiyama Tori, and she wants to join the club!" Endou smiled at the girl, whose face looked slightly pale from being spun around so quickly. "Well, Tori-san, do you like soccer?" The newcomer nodded her head vigorously, her lips curving upward. "Yes, I do!"

The coach gave her a thumbs-up. "Well then, welcome! Show us what you've got!" As the team cheered, a female voice spoke from behind Endou. "Ah, I see you found the soccer club, Juushi-chan." The players fell silent as they saw their advisor smiling at Tori.

"E-Eh?! Otonashi-san is your cousin?" Midori, the pale orange haired manager, asked in shock. Tori giggled and nodded. "Yup! I'm so excited, Onee-chan! This looks like the best soccer team _ever_!" Haruna laughed at the girl's elation. "Well then, let's not waste time. Akane-chan, please get Tori-chan a uniform." The quiet manager nodded, her two chestnut braids bouncing as she walked back to the clubroom. In no time at all, she was back, and Tori left to change.

When she returned, she was dressed in the standard Raimon uniform: a yellow shirt with blue accents and a white collar, and blue shorts with a yellow band around the bottom. She skipped onto the field, the number twenty-one written in bold blue characters on her back.

"Watch out, Tori-chan!" Aoi screamed, and Tori whirled around and leapt, neatly stopping the ball that had been flying towards her. Tori winked at Kurama, who flushed guiltily, "trying to catch me off-guard, are we? I'll tell you now, I'm a very observant person." She pivoted and kicked the ball backwards, grinning cheekily. It flew past four startled players and to Sangoku, who put his hands out to stop it. After a moment of grunting, he managed to make it fall to the ground, unmoving.

Kurama quickly shut his mouth, which had fallen open when Tori kicked the ball, and crossed his arms, pale green bangs hiding one of his eyes. "Okay, so you can kick a ball. But can you steal one from Shindou? That would be something."

Tori turned and smiled at the former captain. "Wanna give it a go?" Shindou shrugged, for some reason uncomfortable under her gaze. "Sure, why not?" Tsurugi passed him a ball, and he dribbled toward Tori.

She stood, an odd smirk playing on her lips, and ran in his direction. When they met, Shindou stopped and pulled the ball back under him in an attempt to keep it. Tori, without breaking stride, tapped it and pivoted around him in time for the black and white sphere to bounce lightly to rest between her slim ankles. Shindou turned, aghast. She smiled shyly and shrugged. "Um… was that okay?"

Before the midfielder could respond, Tori was tackled from behind. Tenma and Shinsuke were bear hugging her. At the same time. "Sugoi, Tori-chan! That was awesome!" Tenma let go of the poor girl, who then proceeded to breath deeply, an action she had been unable to perform mere seconds ago.

Shinsuke also released her and jumped up and down. "Who would have thought you could steal a ball from Shindou-senpai! That was so cool!" Tenma and Shinsuke started chattering about Tori's small achievement.

The girl's face turned pinker than her hair, and Shindou thought it was really cute. _Wait, what?_ Since when did he think like that about anybody? He'd never really thought girls were cute. Was this girl growing on him? Who _was_ she, anyway? Otonashi-san's cousin? He didn't know she had a cousin. All of a sudden, Shindou determined to unlock the secrets hidden behind those perfect eyes. That girl had to be keeping something from them. But what?

**And that's all for now! Hamano cracks me up in this chapter... Hahaha, he's so awesome. **

**Don't forget to leave a review! :)**

**Until I update again,**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello again everyone! **

**Thank you so much (again) for reading! I hope you like it! :)**

**This chapter is so much longer than the first one... oh well! Enjoy!**

Chapter Two

"Oi, Tori-chan!" Tenma ran up to his teammate after her first week at Raimon. "Oh, Tenma-kun. What's up?" The boy put a hand to his head nervously, the odd swirls in his brown locks twisting even more. "Eto… some of us were wondering if you wanted to hang out today? We were maybe going to go to the shopping mall."

Tori smiled warmly, and all of Tenma's fears about her wanting to be alone vanished. "I'd love to! Just let me go home and change out of my uniform. I'll meet you guys there in about an hour. Is that okay?" Tenma nodded vigorously. "That's great. See you then!" And with that, he turned and bolted back towards the school.

Chuckling quietly, Tori continued down the sidewalk. After a few minutes, she came to a small house. Humming softly to herself, she turned in at the gate. "Haruna-san, I'm back!" A figure appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. The woman smiled, her chin length wavy dark hair clipped back from her face. "Welcome back, Tori-chan. How was your second day of school?"

Tori grinned and slipped her outdoor shoes off. "It was great! Of course you were at practice, so I don't need to tell you about that, but we had a surprise quiz today in math, and I'm pretty sure I got a perfect score. Yippee!" She jumped into her house shoes, then lost her balance and fell on her face. "Oops. That happened," she groaned as she stood and dusted her knees. Haruna giggled and rolled her eyes at the teen's clumsiness. Tori explained about Tenma's invitation, and went upstairs to change her clothes.

As she opened the door to her room, she smiled at how lucky she was, that _he_ had chosen Haruna. She tossed her book bag on the bed, and changed into a knee length denim skirt with pleats, a white blouse with short, puffy sleeves, and a light blue vest over it.

She tugged on her white knee socks and pulled the ribbon out of her hair. She sat at her vanity and brushed through her pink hair, sighing contentedly at the relaxing motion. Swiftly she pulled it back into its high ponytail, tying in the sky blue ribbon that she always wore. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a letter. She glanced over it for the zillionth time, her gaze lingering on the signature at the bottom: Genda Koujirou. Sighing, she set the paper down and clenched her jaw. Nobody could find out the secret that the kind man had worked so hard to help her keep.

* * *

"Oi, Tenma!" Tori ran up to the boy as he stood outside the mall, waiting for her. His face broke into a grin when he saw her, and motioned for her to follow him. "C'mon, Tori-chan, everyone else is inside." The girl walked beside him into the building.

When they entered, she saw Aoi, Shinsuke, Kirino, Midori, Nishiki, Kariya, Hayami, Hamano, Tsurugi, Kurama and Shindou inside standing in a cluster, talking. "Hi, Tori-chan!" Aoi ran over and hugged her excitedly. The girl stood silently in her embrace, confusion flickering across her face. Ao

i pulled away and giggled at her new friend. "What, have you never been hugged before or something?" Tori laughed nervously, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "M-My parents aren't really the affectionate type…" Aoi cocked her head. "Aw, that's too bad. But what about your friends? Surely _they _would have hugged you before!" Tori twisted a lock of her wavy hair nervously. "U-Um… yeah, friends… they didn't. So, what are we planning? Are we just window shopping today?"

Shinsuke grinned and responded promptly, seemingly forgetting about the other subject, much to Tori's relief. "Yeah! We love to just walk around and look at the stores! Like the ones where they sell weirdly colored soccer balls? So cool!" The girl smiled at the cheerful goalkeeper. She looked up and saw Shindou, looking at her oddly. She quickly averted her gaze, not wanting him to pry any deeper into her personal life.

"Well then, let's get going." Tori smiled at Midori thankfully. "Yeah, let's!" She skipped forward and laced her arm through Aoi's. The manager was about the same height as her, so it was not uncomfortable. Tori smiled at the cheerful girl. "Your friends usually do this too, right?" Aoi cocked her head, an amused grin tugging at her lips. "Well, my friends never have, but you're welcome to!" And with that, she and Tori skipped together deeper into the shopping center.

Everyone else shrugged and followed, walking and talking in clusters. Shindou frowned as he conversed with Kirino. "It's so odd. She's really friendly and relaxed, but sometimes acts almost as if she's almost never been around people. Never had friends, much less just chilled out. I just don't _get_ it."

A mischievous voice spoke behind him, making the boy jump. "Observant, are we, Shindou-senpai? You sure have got a thing for Tori-chan, eh?" Shindou flushed, turning to the grinning boy behind him. "Kariya! … leave me alone." Kirino watched, surprised, as Shindou picked up his pace and trotted ahead to walk beside Nishiki, who greeted him in his usual boisterous voice.

The boy turned aquamarine orbs on Kariya, who smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. "Boy, somebody sure is sensitive…" Kirino rolled his eyes and muttered, "Kariya, you idiot." The teal-headed boy crossed his arms and jogged to keep beside his fellow defender, who was walking at a much brisker pace. "Oi oi, Kirino-senpai, I'm not an idiot!" Kirino sighed and tried to ignore his friend's protests about his intelligence.

"Ooh ooh, look at that, Tori-chan!" Aoi clutched her friend's wrist and pointed. Tori looked up and smiled. "O-Oh, I see…" The object was a poster, on the window of a music shop. _Buy one get one free! New albums by Pop Star 'Queen Awa', Classical Wonder 'Ichisada Torina', and Rock Legends 'Shattering Boulders'! Don't miss it!_ Tori read the poster with pursed lips.

"Is something wrong, Tori-san?" Her pink ponytail swished violently as she whirled around to face Tsurugi. "N-No, of course not, Tsurugi-kun! I just… Don't really do the whole music thing. Listening to it…" She trailed off as twelve pairs of eyes stared at her in shock. Nishiki put his hands on his hips, his long, dark ponytail moving as if it were alive. "That's preposterous! Everybody listens to music." Midori grinned teasingly at him. "Wow, Ryouma-kun, graduated to big words, have we?" The tall boy turned indignantly to the delinquent manager and they promptly started arguing.

"Cut it out guys! Now, Tori-chan, surely you listen to _some_ music?" Hamano asked gently. Tori shrugged uncomfortably. "W-Well, I mean, I listen to a little, but none of the modern stuff… I don't even know who those people are." Kariya nodded knowingly, arms crossed. "Ah, a lover of classical music. Remind you of anyone, _Shindou-senpai?_" Shindou shot him an angry glare, and he shrank back to stand behind Kirino, who just sighed and rolled his eyes.

Tenma grinned, relief washing over his features. "Oh,, so you _do_ listen to music! That's good. Classical music is great! Shindou-san likes it, too." Tori flushed and looked at her black shoes. "Y-Yes, well, I don't listen to much. Just a bit here and there, and I don't really like it." Hayami shrugged and smiled shyly at her. "That's okay, Tori-chan. Everyone has different interests!" The girl nodded gratefully at him. "Arigato, Hayami-kun." The boy adjusted his glasses, blushing furiously. Hamano elbowed him, snickering mischievously.

Kariya announced that he was going into the music store for a moment to pick up a new album, and everyone else waited outside for him. When he returned, he looked quite pleased, and began conversing with Kurama. Aoi tugged on Tori's arm, reminding her to keep walking, and the girl happily complied.

Shindou moved up to walk beside her, hands in his pockets. "So, Tori-san, what brings you to Raimon?" Tori looked at him, a hint of something in her eyes. Was it… fear? "Oh, mostly a change of scenery, I guess. My parents don't really care where I am, and I like Haruna-san much better anyway."

Shindou nodded slowly and said sympathetically before continuing with his questions. "Oh, that's too bad about your parents. Where did you live before coming here, Tori-san?" Turquoise orbs fixated on a point in the distance, and her answer sounded almost rehearsed. "Tokyo. My father is a businessman, and travels fairly often. My mother is big on society, so she feels the need to surround herself with snooty people. Um, Shindou-san? Why are we talking about me?"

Shindou shrugged, smiling kindly. "You're my new friend. I just want to get to know you better." Tori furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully. "So, this is what friends normally do? Ask a bunch of questions?" Shindou cocked his head at the gaze she turned on him, full of innocent curiosity. "Y-Yeah, I suppose so…" Tori brightened considerably, as if he had just made her life a ton easier. "Oh! Well, in that case, Shindou-san, what about you? What is your family like?"

The boy's reddish-brown eyes locked with her turquoise ones, and he smiled. "I'm an only child. My parents are very rich, but I still see them fairly often. As Kariya said, my parents and I are lovers of classical music." Tori bobbed her head thoughtfully and averted her gaze. "Do you, uh, play any instruments?"

Shindou nodded, confused at her sudden interest in the floor. "Yes, actually. I sing a little, and play the piano." He saw the ghost of a smile grace her features, and she whispered to herself. "A pianist, huh? Just my luck…" Shindou frowned, wondering what she meant.

But before he could ask the mysterious young girl, she lifted her head and smiled at him, all evidence of the odd comment to herself gone. "Do you like to play, Shindou-san?" His eyebrows furrowed at her random question. "Yes, I do, very much. It's so relaxing, and I feel like the music could just suck me up and keep me forever." Tori's eyes widened for a moment, then she shook her head almost imperceptibly and grinned. "That's nice."

Before Shindou could say anything more to her, a figure appeared beside him and tugged on his arm. "Shindou-san, come over here, you've got to see this!" And without giving him much time to respond, Tenma dragged the poor boy away.

Aoi chuckled. "Ah, Tenma. He's very enthusiastic most of the time, and doesn't always realize that most people prefer not to be dragged around. But he's really a sweet guy despite that!" Tori detected an odd tone in her companion's voice, and turned her head to look at her. Aoi was watching Tenma pull Shindou along, an odd smile playing on her lips and a faraway look in her eyes. Tori smiled gently. _Wow, I've never seen that look before…_ she thought sarcastically to herself.

"So, Aoi-chan, how long have you known Tenma-kun?" The sweet manager shifted her attention to a smiling Tori, and blushed slightly as she answered. "We're childhood friends, actually. We went to the same elementary school." Tori nodded, satisfied. There was definitely more going on there then met the eye. Tori was quite adept at recognizing little behaviors like that. Aoi _totally_ liked Tenma.

"So, Aoi, have you ever told him?" The girl snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Tori's voice and raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Told who what?" The older girl grinned knowingly. "Told Tenma how you feel about him, of course!" Aoi's face burned, all the way to the tips of her ears. "T-Tori-chan! What are you talking about? _How did you know about that?!_"

Tori smirked and chuckled lightly. "I could just tell." Aoi shook her head, slightly awed. "Wow. You sure are observant, aren't you, Tori-chan?" The ponytailed girl smiled brightly and shrugged. "Well, what did I tell Kurama-kun on my first day? I am a _very_ observant person." Aoi giggled, "oh yeah, that's right." Tori poked Aoi playfully, and the manager giggled again. Tori's smile grew wider. _So, this is having a friend? I like it!_

**I hope you enjoyed chapter two! :D I might update again today - I'm in an updatey mood. :)  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review! Just a teensy one would be so fantastic. **

**~Swaggy-chan**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi again, mina-san!**

**Here is the third chapter of the story! I hope you're liking it so far. Sorry for any typos I may have missed while editing, I just went to the dentist, so my brain's kinda fuzzy. :/**

**Anyhoo, you know the drill, read, enjoy, and review! :D**

**[Edit] I keep forgetting to do this... Disclaimer: I do not own IE Go, that belongs to Level-5. I do own Kimiyama Tori and the three musicians mentioned in the last chapter. (Just some people I made up for plot progression. :D)**

Chapter Three

"Tsurugi-kun!" Tori called and passed the ball up the field. Raimon's ace striker received it flawlessly and dribbled closer to the goal. Suddenly stopping, he rolled the ball onto his right foot and lifted his leg so that the ball was resting on it directly in front of him. He then dropped his foot and the black and white orb still floated in front of him. Reaching his right leg back up, he kicked the underside of the ball, filling it and the air around it with a dark energy. As the deep aura crackled and hissed, he stomped his foot and leaned forward. The ball shot off toward the goal, accompanied by his cry of "Death Sword!" Sangoku jumped to catch it, but the sphere shot right past him and hit the net. Tori stood in awe, jaw hanging slack. "Wow…" As Shindou gave Tsurugi a high-five, the girl ran up the field swiftly. "Sugoi, Tsurugi-kun!" She jumped up and down in front of the forward, hands clasped in excitement. "That is one of the coolest Hissatsu Techniques I've ever seen!"

Tsurugi smiled at the kind, excitable girl. "Arigato, Tori-san." Shindou turned to the newest player curiously. "Oi, do you have any Hissatsu Techniques, Tori-san?" The girl, whose position was as of yet undetermined, flushed and scratched her head. "I-I have a couple…" The midfielder smiled at her sudden shyness. "Would you care to show them to us?" He asked gently. Tori twisted a lock of her hair, suddenly nervous. "H-Hai…"

Shindou nodded at Kurama, who tossed him a ball. "Okay, who wants to go up against Tori-san's Hissatsu in practice today?" After a moment of silence, a voice spoke up timidly, "I-I suppose I could…" Hayami stepped forward. Tori smiled at him, her perfect teeth shining. "Arigato, Hayami-kun!" He blushed and nodded silently. Shindou tossed the ball to Tori. "Well then, let's see one." She nodded and took a deep breath. "This is my dribble Hissatsu."

And with that, she took off in Hayami's direction. The poor boy was still unused to her speed, which was not as fast as Tenma, but pretty quick anyway, and faltered a little in his charge toward her. As Tori neared her opponent, she slipped her foot under the ball and flipped it into the air above her. Winking, she skipped forward, the ball landing neatly on her head. She held her arms out parallel to her body and slowly walked toward Hayami, delicately placing one foot in front of the other. Suddenly, she began to spin dizzyingly around him, and images of stacks of books filling the air around the pair. "Perfect Poise!" She called out as she stopped once she was past Hayami, and gave a deep curtsy, the ball rolling off her head and landing perfectly in front of her feet.

She turned around and smiled at Hayami, who was gaping in shock. "Surprised?" The boy adjusted his round spectacles and nodded. "H-Hai… That was awesome, Tori-chan!" Tori grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "Arigato gozaimasu, Hayami-kun!" Applause exploded from over by the bench, and Tori turned to face the rest of the team. "Wow, Tori, that was AMAZING!" Tenma pumped a fist in the air to accompany his exclamation.

Tori scanned the faces of the rest of the group, turning a light shade of pink as she saw everyone slightly shocked and impressed at what she could do. They looked at her, respect and awe on their faces. All of a sudden, it reminded her of something, and the faces in front of her began to blur. "Eto…" Her head swam, and was suddenly filled with visions of _that_. That life she had been trying to forget. A beautiful pair of brown eyes, reddish with a spot of black, swam in her vision. "Tori-san?!" She vaguely heard a voice calling her name in a slightly panicked voice before the darkness claimed her. She slumped onto the field.

* * *

"Tori!" Shindou was the first to reach her. He dropped to his knees beside her, gently shaking her shoulder. Tori?" He searched her face for any kind of reaction, but there was nothing. He checked her for a pulse, and once he found it, he breathed a sigh of relief. He continued calling her name, over and over. He wasn't sure why he was panicking so much, it was probably nothing, and besides, he hardly knew her. But somehow, he couldn't stop himself from feeling twisting worry in his gut. She had been looking right at him.

"Tori?" Tenma had made his way over and kneeled beside Shindou grimly. "Can you get her inside, Shindou-san? It could be heat, or dehydration…" In the back of Shindou's mind, a little sarcastic voice told him that Tenma was behaving more like he should, and he was overreacting like Tenma normally would. Shindou reached out and gently picked up Tori's limp form, slightly surprised to find that she weighed almost nothing. He turned and carried her back towards the enormous soccer complex, the rest of the team following, whispering worriedly.

Shindou felt a presence beside him, and shifted his gaze from the face of the girl in his arms to another female face, looking sick with worry. "Is she alright, Shindou-senpai?" Shindou pressed his mouth into a line grimly. "I-I don't know, Aoi. She won't wake up…" Tenma appeared beside Aoi, trying his best to smile. "Don't worry, you two. I'm sure there's an explanation. Tori-chan is probably having a bit of trouble adjusting to being here." Shindou looked surprised at Tenma's cool headedness. How was he not running in circles panicking? Maybe he had underestimated Tenma's maturity. No, he hadn't; he had been the one to appoint the first-year as captain, after all.

Shindou's brain was just not working normally, for some reason. Everything was mixed up. Had Tori done this to him? His attention shifted from his thoughts back over to Aoi as she sniffled, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. Suddenly, a tentative arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she looked up to see Tenma, smiling shyly. "Don't cry, Aoi. She's probably fine…" He didn't sound too sure himself anymore, but his words comforted the girl. She nodded, walking along, face pink from Tenma's touch. Shindou smiled inwardly. _It's about time…_ This had been brewing forever.

He looked back at Tori's face, which looked sickeningly pale. Hayami stood, holding the door open for him. Shindou nodded gratefully at the younger boy, whose face was filled with anxiety. Hayami inclined his head and glanced at Tori. "Is she okay, Shindou-kun?" The boy merely shrugged sadly and entered the building.

Once he found the clubroom, he laid the still girl down on one of the couches, and knelt beside her again. Haruna hurried forward, questions spilling from her mouth. "Shindou-kun, what happened?! Is Tori-chan alright? What's wrong with her? Is she awake?" Shindou just shook his head, slightly overwhelmed. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Endou standing behind him, smiling reassuringly. "Come with me, Shindou. We'll go find a doctor."

Shindou opened his mouth to argue, he wanted to stay with the girl, but the man gave him a look, and he shut it just as promptly as he had opened it. Reluctantly, he stood and followed his coach out of the room, glancing back to see Aoi kneeling beside Tori, whispering. Head bowed low, he trailed along behind Endou, deep in thought. Secretly wishing that he was still in the clubroom with Tori.

* * *

Tori's head swam, and she heard shuffling. Murmurs, soft voices coaxing her out of the stuffy, dark pit that threatened to suffocate her. She opened her eyes slowly, painfully, only to be blinded by bright lights. She quickly shut them again, moaning softly. She heard a voice speaking urgently, "Tur… ghts do… ick." Fragments of the words reached her, and she ventured to open her eyes again. The lighting was considerably dimmer, and she blinked a couple times, staring at a white ceiling.

"Tori!" She turned her head to the right and saw a boy there, relief and happiness filling his reddish-brown eyes. They were beautiful eyes… "S-Shindou-san…?" Shindou grinned and nodded, "yeah, it's me. Are you okay?" Tori let out a small breath before answering shakily, "I think so…" The boy's face brightened, and she felt her pale face heat up slightly. "Do you want to sit up?" Tori nodded at Shindou's question, and she lifted her head. He put a hand on her back in assistance, and the color on her face deepened.

Once she was upright, she rubbed her skull ruefully and asked, "what happened?" Shindou took a deep breath, but his explanation was interrupted by the sound of the automatic door, and running footsteps. "Tori-chan!" The dazed girl was embraced tightly by Aoi, as Tenma, Haruna and Endou stood back, smiling. "It's been _hours,_ Tori. Hours! How could you scare us like that?" Aoi now had ahold of Tori's shoulders, reprimanding her. Tori furrowed her eyebrows, as if trying to remember something.

"What happened, Tori-chan? Even the doctor was puzzled." Haruna asked as she sat beside her charge on the sofa. Tori paled, a stark contrast to her previous blushing. She stuttered as she answered, "eto… w-well, I'm not sure, I just kinda passed out…" Shindou frowned slightly at the girl's obvious lie. Aoi smiled, and Shindou inwardly rolled his eyes at how easily she could be comforted sometimes.

The manager gestured at Tenma, "he must have been right. You're just having trouble adjusting to life here. I mean, it's pretty different from Tokyo, isn't it?" Tori nodded a bit too energetically and responded, "yes, that must be it. It's _really_ different. But, I think it's a good different…" She smiled distantly. Endou chuckled, "Well, you better let Haruna get you home, Tori. It's late, and most everybody went home already. Except for these two, and Shindou. We just couldn't get him to leave." The coach of the soccer team grinned cheekily as Shindou blushed. Tori smiled sweetly at the boy, "thank you for staying, Shindou-san." Shindou muttered an acknowledgment, his blush deepening.

Haruna put an arm around Tori's shoulders, helping her up. Tori smiled at her, insisting that she could walk. The woman rolled her eyes and let go of her charge. Tori walked slowly to the door of the clubroom. When the doors swooshed open, she turned back and saluted gently, winking. "Sayonara, mina." And she left, Haruna close behind.

"Well, it's time for everyone else to go home, too. I'm locking the clubroom, so everybody out!" Endou's authoritative words held a hint of amusement. Tenma and Aoi left, chattering about Tori, and Shindou followed silently, baffled. What was wrong with him? He'd never felt like that around anybody before. Tori made him slightly uncomfortable, yet at the same time like he never wanted to leave her. Sometimes, he was at a loss for words around her, and that almost never happened to the serious boy. He contemplated his predicament as he slowly made his way to his house.

All of a sudden, he came to a realization. Stopping abruptly in front of the large iron gate that led to his huge house, he frowned at his thoughts. Did he… like this girl? But he'd just met her a couple weeks ago! He sighed tiredly. _Stranger things have happened._

**Well, I hope you liked it! See you later!**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	5. Chapter 4

**'Ello, everybody!**

**Thank you again to everybody who is reading this. And thank you Kiko Akira, for your reviews. :) They mean a lot to me. So, enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inazuma Eleven: Go, that belongs to... (drum roll please...) Level-5! :D However, I do own Kimiyama Tori, and the teacher that I created for this chapter. Lol. I really like him.**

Chapter Four

Tori glanced sideways at Shindou, who was dutifully taking notes. It had been three days since the fainting incident, and he had been avoiding her. She could sometimes feel his eyes on her, in practice and class, but he wouldn't talk to her. It made her sad, because in his absence of sorts, she had realized just how much she enjoyed his company.

She hadn't known him, or anyone here, very long, but he interested her. She didn't really know why, but she was hurt that he wouldn't hold conversations with her. Maybe he was upset with her for fainting? Nah, that didn't seem likely. Did he… know that she lied? Her stomach twisted. Was he mad about that? Oh, surely not. She would just have to force him to talk to her today at practice.

"So, does anybody here know who the richest man in Japan is today?" Sensei Dareth, the young second-year-Economics teacher, asked as he fussed with his perfectly styled brown hair. Instantly, Tori felt her hand shoot up. "Yes, Kimiyama-san?"

The girl's eyes widened as she realized what she had done. She inwardly shrugged. It was too late. She responded without faltering, "Ichisada Hiro, Sensei." The heartthrob teacher gave her a thumbs up and grinned. "Right you are, Kimiyama-san!"

The girl mentally rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the giggles, sighs and whispers of most of her female classmates. Tori's hand moved up on it's own to twiddle with her hair, a nervous movement that she sometimes didn't even realize she was making. She felt Shindou's gaze turn on her as Sensei Dareth prattled on and on about the richest family in the country.

"And, a few months ago, the man's daughter mysteriously went missing. A musical prodigy, she has held celebrity status for about four years! Lots of people say she was kidnapped, and still others say she was murdered. One crackpot got it into his head that she ran away! Can you imagine? That kind of life, and wanting to leave? I think that one's impossible. Personally, I think she was kidnapped. Anyhoo, let's move on to the price of paper…"

Tori tried not to look sick as Shindou turned his head yet again to look at her. She felt woozy, feeling the room closing in on her… "Sumimasen, Sensei, may I be excused?" Tori interrupted the pleasant man. Dareth took one look at her and immediately nodded, "of course, Kimiyama-san. You look very sick, maybe you should see the nur-" He was cut off once more by the door slamming.

Tori ran down the hall, straight to the ladies bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror, the sink running water as she stared at her reflection. She caressed her hair, and set her jaw. _Nobody knew, it was just coincidence… _ She splashed her face and sighed.

Hearing the bell, she jumped and went back to the classroom to gather her things. Soccer practice was next, and the sport always did wonders for her mood. She quickly but neatly tucked all her books and things into her school bag and clipped it shut, smiling lovingly at the lightning bolt insignia that tore through the center. _Raimon…_

"Wow, Kimiyama-san, I never realized you were so OCD." The girl started, caught off-guard by the presence of her teacher. "S-Sensei Dareth! I didn't see you there!" The man smiled kindly, worry in his dark eyes. "Are you all right? You seemed pretty shaken up in class today…"

Tori smiled cheerily, covering up the dread in her gut. "Oh, that! Itoko gave me grape juice this morning, and it set my stomach off. I've never been able to drink that stuff without getting sick!" She laughed, and was relieved to see Sensei doing the same. "Very well, Kimiyama-san. Just tell your cousin to be more careful next time." Tori nodded happily at the man and waved as she took off for practice, "I will, Sensei!"

She ran through the halls, dodging people and locker doors, (she had a close call with that last one), and rocketed into the soccer building. She rushed around the corridor into the girl's locker room, stuffed her book bag in her locker and speedily changed into her uniform. She then burst back into the hallway, running until she came to the clubroom, then fumbled with the button.

When the door finally opened, she saw everyone seated in the meeting area, Haruna standing with a tablet and Endou speaking. He stopped as he looked up and saw her, panting slightly for breath, having run pretty far. "Tori, you're late." His tone was not angry, only slightly reprimanding. Tori reminded herself how lucky she was that he was her coach. "Gomennasai, Endou-kantaku!"

He waved her in, "come on in, we're having a meeting." She walked into the area, and saw that the only open seat was beside Shindou. She slipped into it, blushing slightly as her shoulder brushed his. She quickly scooted away, trying to hide her red face. Off to her right somewhere, she heard a chuckle. She scanned the room in search of it's owner, and her gaze settled on a teal headed defender, watching her and Shindou. She frowned, glaring at Kariya, and he merely shrugged.

Tori's attention was brought back to Endou as he spoke, "Now, we do have a game this Friday, against Hakuren Jr. High." Tori's eyes widened, and she jumped up in excitement, squealing. "Hooray! We have a game! I get to play in a real soccer match!" She froze as she saw everyone staring at her oddly. She quickly sat back down, ears burning, trying to ignore that awful snickering. Someday, that Kariya…

Endou cleared his throat, hiding a grin. "Yes, thank you for your excitement, Tori. Now, Hakuren has Fubuki as a trainer, so they will be no easy opponent. But, since we have Kidou as our trainer, we shouldn't have too much of a problem. So, minna, let's get training!" Everyone else in the room cheered and pumped their fists in the air.

Kidou, the trainer with a half ponytail of dreadlocks and big, round, goggle-esque sunglasses, grinned, obviously flattered by Endou's praise. Tori smiled at all the excitement. _So this is what it feels like to belong…_ "C'mon, Tori!" Her musings were interrupted by the usual: Tenma and Shinsuke, grabbing her wrists and dragging her along. "H-Hai…" As she stumbled in their clutches, she turned her head back to see Shindou in deep thought, walking by himself. She frowned as she was pulled onward by her two overzealous captors.

* * *

"Okay, we're going to have a practice match today. The team will be divided into two smaller team, and we'll play eight vs eight." Kidou gave his instructions as the team warmed up. "Shindou, I'd like you to sit this one out." The boy he addressed looked up, surprised. After a moment, he inclined his head. "Hai…"

Sadly, Shindou watched all his friends run out onto the field. Tori turned and gave him a worried look. He turned away, so as not to see her. He had been avoiding her after his discovery the other night, and he knew it bothered her. He just needed time to figure himself out, and she made him have trouble focusing.

Having a thought, Shindou glanced up at his wise trainer as the kickoff to the small match sounded. _So, he knows… He pulled me out of the mock match on purpose, knowing I probably wouldn't concentrate._ Kidou noticed his look and strolled over to him. "I trust you'll have everything sorted out by the end of the match, won't you, Shindou?"

The boy gazed out at the field, and saw Tenma pass the ball to Tori, who was running like there was someone after her, and she needed to get away. "Yes, Kidou-san." The man nodded, satisfied, and went over to the managers. As Shindou watched Tori dribble up the field, he realized she always looked like that. Like she was running, or hiding from something. And she just couldn't break free.

Tori sent a pass over towards Hamano, but it was way too wide, and the ball bounced off the field. Smiling sheepishly, she apologized to the midfielder, who just told her not to worry about it. As the game went on, Shindou noticed that, while Tori seemed to have incredible ability as a player, and a hard kick, she lacked skill in playing with others.

Passing, general techniques, she looked as though she had to try really hard just to get them. When the ball was thrown back in, Tori raised her hand for a pass, even though she was pretty far away by now, standing on the opponent's side of the field. Kurama seemed to think for a second, then sent an enormously long pass her way. She managed to receive it, and turned for the goal, having no trouble from the defenders.

Tori had a perfect shoot course, and Shinsuke clapped his hands, egging her on. She had this look on her face, almost… pained, but determined. She grabbed the ball between both her feet and leapt into the air. She turned, two full corkscrews, as images filled the field around her. Shindou gasped. _Instruments._ They made a full orchestra, dancing chaotically around the girl as beautiful music sounded from them. Tori released the ball, letting it plummet back toward the ground.

A few feet above the grass, the sphere landed on a bass drum, causing a loud booming sound to permeate the air. It bounced back up to Tori, who was waiting for it. Still in the air, she kicked the ball with a vengeance. Shinsuke called out in surprise, and Shindou suddenly saw why. It was running a parallel course to the goal! The Raimon team watched in shock as the ball hurtled towards the boundary. Tori's voice cut into Shindou's confusion, "Trick Symphony!" Mere seconds before it flew out of bounds, a pair of cymbals moseyed into it's path, and it crashed against into them.

Shindou covered his ears to protect them from the noise as the ball shot away from the metal disks, covered in a yellow glow, with music notes flying off it. Shinsuke shook himself from his stupor and dove for the ball, but he was too late. It slammed into the netting, spinning for a few seconds before slowing and falling to rest on the ground.

Shindou stared at Tori, whose cheeks looked damp. He thought he saw her mouth something, for somebody to 'take that', but he wasn't sure. The girl quickly wiped a wrist across her eyes as Tenma ran up behind her and started praising her, causing her to turn toward him, then turn red. Shinsuke was exclaiming about what a powerful shoot that was, and Otonashi-san's eyes sparkled with pride.

Kariya was watching Shindou, and the boy on the bench smiled a little bit. This girl really was fantastic. She'd hardly been there at all, just over a couple weeks, but already she had bewitched everyone on the team. She was just so likable! Shindou saw Hayami gazing at her, and he sighed inwardly. He didn't want to hurt his friend, but he felt like he needed to stop ignoring her, and maybe spend some time with her… suddenly, he knew what to do. It was simple, the oldest thing in the book. _After practice… _he told himself. He watched the rest of the match with growing anticipation.

**And that's all for now, folkses! :D I couldn't resist Sensei Dareth, who is based off of a LEGO: Ninjago character. lol. He is amazing. **

**Don't forget to leave a review, even a little one would mean a lot to me. :)**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	6. Chapter 5

**Well here we are again. :)**

**Enjoy this chapter, it gets kinda dramatic. :D Hehe. And many, many thanks to Kiko Akira and Soccers Heart for their wonderful reviews. I love reviews so much, and they give me motivation to update. :) Thanks so much, guys!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own IE:Go, okay? That's Level-5's gig. But I do own Kimiyama Tori. :D**

Chapter Five

Tori walked out of the girl's locker room, back in her school uniform, refreshed after a shower. Practice had exhausted her that day, and washing all the disgusting sweat off felt so good. "Tori-san!"

The girl turned at the sound of her name. When she saw Shindou running down the hall to catch up to her, her stomach turned inside-out. She feigned disinterest as she responded coldly, "oh, so you'll deign to talk to me now?" Shindou looked sheepish as he came to a halt beside her. "W-Well… I… look, I'm sorry I haven't exactly been seeking you out these past few days. I do have my reasons, and I apologize sincerely." Tori's eyes locked with his, and she saw remorse, guilt, and something else in their depths. Could it be… nervousness?

She sighed and smiled happily. "Apology accepted, Shindou-kun." He released a pent up breath, relief covering every inch of his face. "Arigato, Tori." His fairly low, soft voice sent tingles down Tori's arms. _It would sound beautiful singing Schubert…_ "I was wondering, Tori-san, if you're not too busy tonight, if you want to come over to my house for supper. And we could work on homework. Sensei Aika is ruthless in her critique of our geography homework." Tori smiled sweetly, "I'd love that."Shindou grinned and motioned toward the exit. "Shall we go then?" The girl nodded, and the two went on their way, chatting amiably.

"Oh dear, it's raining…" Tori frowned at the weather out the door, realizing that she'd forgot rain gear. A fwooshing sound made her turn. Shindou clicked his umbrella up and smiled at her. "I think this is big enough for both of us, don't you?" Tori looked pleased. _He really is such a nice guy…_ Shindou held the door open for her, and she slipped through, murmuring a word of thanks. And, before she could get wet, he held the umbrella over them, blocking the view of the sky right above.

As they walked to Shindou's house, he asked her, "so, did it rain in Tokyo much?" Tori sighed, her eyes filling with a distant look. "Oh yes, all the time. Tokyo is nearly always covered in a fog this time of year." Shindou wished he knew where her mind was taking her, for she looked so very far away. "You must miss it there." Abruptly, Tori wagged her head no. "Oh nonononono. I don't. I _never_ want to go back." Shindou looked surprised. "Oh, really? Well, why not?" The girl bit her beautiful lip, staring at the ground. "I just… had some bad experiences there."

Shindou' brow creased sympathetically. "Oh. I'm sorry. It's too bad you hate your hometown, isn't it?" Tori sighed sadly, her next words barely audible, "more like my prison." Shindou was stunned. Prison? What was with this girl? Before he could ask, she laughed lightly and said, "Oh, look at me, I'm being more gloomy than the weather! Let's lighten up. Okay, so how big is your house?" Shindou touched her elbow gently, stopping her. "_That_ big."

Tori turned and looked at the mansion beyond an enormous iron gate. The massive building was a brilliant white, and would have been dazzling if it weren't for the weather. She nodded, "Yes, very pretty. I love it!" Shindou flushed at her praise of his home. He walked up to a buzzer beside the gate and gently pressed a gray button. "Identify yourself," the deep voice of a man sounded from the speaker. Shindou rolled his eyes, "Seriously, Hotaka-san? You know it's me. And it's wet out here!" Hotaka repeated himself, his tone betraying the slightest bit of amusement.

Shindou sighed loudly enough for the security man to hear, "Shindou Takuto. And a guest, Kimiyama Tori. Now, it's cold and wet. Will you open the gate already?" Tori giggled softly at the playfully annoyed banter. The slightly crackling voice spoke again. "Identity confirmed. Welcome home, Takuto-sama." The gate slowly began to open, and Shindou called into the speaker, "Arigato, Hotaka-san." Just loudly enough that it probably annoyed the man.

Moving so that the umbrella still covered them both, Shindou led Tori into the yard. They strolled through a courtyard, past a trickling fountain, overflowing due to the raindrops, and down a path to the steps of the house. Once they had mounted the stairs, Tori complementing Shindou on his family's lovely garden, the huge double doors opened and a butler rushed out. Shindou handed the young man the umbrella as he and Tori stepped inside, nice and dry.

Shindou motioned for her to follow him, and he began to climb the long staircase, directly in the center of the large room. As Tori hurried to catch up with him, Shindou remarked playfully, "you're a little less impressed with the house than I thought you would be." Tori paled, and Shindou wished that he could stop making her so uncomfortable. The girl answered carefully, "well, there are lots of big houses in Tokyo." Shindou chuckled, nodding. "Of course, I should have expected that. A big-city girl like yourself knows a good house when she sees one, eh?" Tori shrugged, blushing slightly. "I've always thought that the quality of the house comes from who resides in it." Shindou paused at the top of the steps and turned to face her. "Wow, Tori. That was beautiful. Simply poetic. You'd think you'd been trained in public speaking or something." Tori suddenly took an interest in her shoes, and Shindou smiled gently.

He continued down a hall, asking jokingly, "so how is the quality of this house?" Tori hopped to follow him, smiling playfully. "I have to meet your parents before I can say that." Shindou laughed, a warm and joyful sound that set Tori's heart racing. She could listen to him laugh all day…

"Ah, here we are." Shindou opened a door to the left, and they entered a large room. "This is my chill-out room. I greet people, do homework, whatever I feel like." Tori took in the sight, her eyes misting over. It was a large room, with several armchairs directly to the right beside a cozy fireplace. To the left of the center were a couple of couches and a coffee table. And in the back right corner, a sight that made the girl sob: a beautiful grand piano. Shindou turned to Tori, concern filling him as the girl began to cry. He dropped his book bag and started apologizing profusely, unaware of what caused her grief. Tori shook her head, and choked for him to stop.

Shindou held out his arms, and the girl ran into them, her weeping rekindled as her book bag joined his. He stroked her hair to calm her down, butterflies flying in his stomach at her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Tori-san. What did I do?" He murmured quietly. Tori sniffled, and slowly regained control over her voice. "You didn't do anything, Shindou-san." As she pulled away from him, Shindou felt a pang of sadness, and longed to pull her back.

Tori rubbed a wrist across her breathtaking eyes and slowly walked over to the piano. She tentatively reached out and stroked it, whispering gently, "a Kawai. You have fine taste. It's been a long time since I've seen one of these." Shindou watched her in confusion. She denied knowing much or caring at all about music. How could she tell what brand his piano was without reading it? He slowly made his way over to her as she murmured to the instrument, his pride and joy. Tori turned to him, and he could sense a yearning, a fight to control something in her. But what?

"Have you been playing for long?" Tori turned and asked him. Shindou nodded, "Yeah. I've been playing piano since well before I played soccer." The girl went back to looking at his piano. "Do you know Schubert's Waltz in B minor?" She turned to face him, longing filling her pretty face. Shindou nodded, "yes. That's one I've had memorized for years." Tori went over and opened the cover over the keys. Stroking the ivories lovingly, she beckoned to him.

He came over, and she motioned to the bench shyly. "Will you play it for me, Shindou-san?" Shindou looked up at her, and he saw something beneath the longing in those perfect orbs. Sadness, loss, and passion, all at the same time. He nodded. _I'd do anything for you…_ His face heated up at the smiled and leaned against the piano, waiting for him to begin.

He placed his fingers on the keys and took a deep breath. Slowly, he began the lilting notes to the mesmerizing piece. He glanced up at Tori to see her standing, eyes shut, swaying slightly. She looked so happy that he just wanted to burst. All too soon, the short waltz was over. Tori's eyes flickered open, and she smiled at Shindou. "Arigato, Shindou. You have no idea what that meant to me." Shindou inclined his head, accepting her thanks. When he looked back up at her, she wore the old look of yearning on her soft features.

Shindou smiled. "Do you play, Tori-san?" The girl jumped away from the instrument at his question, vigorously shaking her head, "oh nononono. I don't play at all. Nuh-uh. Nope. Never in my whole life." Shindou chuckled softly and held out his hand. "You're a terrible liar, Tori. Come here." After a moment of pondering, she slowly walked back over and placed her delicate, long-fingered hand into Shindou's warm, firm one. He gently pulled her down onto the bench and placed her hand on the keys. "Now, Tori, I dare you to tell me you don't play."

The girl sat, frozen, for a full minute before looking at him with pain-filled eyes. "You don't understand…" Her voice was barely audible. Shindou nodded, "maybe not. But I recognize a love of playing when I see it. You want to, and you know it. Go on," he prodded her, even standing up to get out of her way, leaning against the instrument as she had. Tori twiddled with her hair unsurely, conflict flashing across her face.

After a long, tense moment, her hand slowly snaked away from the ends of her wavy hair to the sky blue ribbon holding it up. Tugging gently, she released it, and it fluttered lazily to the floor. Her hair fell to hit her back, the rosy ends not quite reaching the center of it. She put the hand on the piano keys, and, hesitantly, began to play. Shindou watched, awed. Her finger caressed the ivories lovingly, coaxing beautiful notes from them. As soon as he recognized the tune, he heard an angelic voice. Startled, he looked at Tori's face. She was singing! Joy covered her features, from the pupils of her eyes to the corners of her lips. The song, 'You'll Never Walk Alone', was from an old American musical. She must like Western music. Shindou's eyes widened as Tori reached the climax, the power and volume building. Feeling filled her voice, rolling off her like the ocean tide. She finished the beautiful song gently, sliding as gracefully out of it as she had into it. Lingering on the final chord, she sat, stunned, as if unable to believe what she had just done.

"Tori…" Shindou couldn't manage any more than that. This girl had claimed to hate music?! What on earth could possess her to do such a thing? Tori's hands began to shake, and she pulled them off the keyboard, clasping them in her lap. Tears rolled down her face, and Shindou barely heard what she whispered. "I'm so sorry, Genda-san…" Shindou slid onto the bench beside her. "Tori." He said her name more forcefully. The girl looked up at him, streaks running down her heart-shaped face. "Gomennasai, Shindou-san. I can't believe I'm getting so emotional…" Shindou put an arm around her shoulders, and he could feel her tense beneath his touch. He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, and spoke. "That was truly amazing, Tori. How did you-"

"Can you just not ask?" Shindou looked startled at her request. Tori turned, her eyes pleading with him. "Please, Shindou-san. I'll play here, today, with you, to let myself free from the entrapment I've placed on myself. I'll admit, it felt wonderful. But _please_. Just don't ask questions." He nodded, agreeing. If she would keep going, he would stop being so curious. He smiled at her, an idea forming in his mind. "Do you know the upper part to Schubert's Fantasy in F minor?" He asked slyly. Tori grinned cheekily. "Can a meadowlark fly?" They smiled at each other, and set their fingers on the keyboard. As they played, the captivating music could be heard throughout the whole manor, and made many a staff member smile. They were all fond of their master's playing.

**So, there you go! Don't forget to drop a review telling me what you think. :) **

**~Swaggy-chan**


	7. Chapter 6

**Here's the next chappie, peeps! :) I hope you like it! Oh, and btw, I named and created Shindou some parents! I hope you don't hate them...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE: Go, or any of the songs/pieces mentioned in this chapter or the last. If I did... oh, that would be a dream come true! I want to own all of Schubert's music! XD Sorryl I'm kind of a classical music/ musical theater buff. :) But I do own Kimiyama Tori. She's so cute! :D Heehee.**

**Enjoy, mina-san!**

Chapter Six

A knock startled the pair out of a rousing rendition of 'Anything You Can Do'. Shindou called out for the person to enter, and Tori flipped her hair behind her back. A man came in, dressed in a black suit. He bowed respectfully, "dinner will be served in fifteen minutes, Shindou-sama." The boy nodded at his butler, "thank you, Kenta. You may go." The servant bowed again and backed out of the room, quietly clicking the large door shut behind him.

Shindou smiled at his guest. "Tori, I have to go to my room to freshen up for dinner. My parents are very particular. They like formal dinners. I'll have one of the maids show you to a room where you can get ready, if you wish." Tori nodded, "Alright. Arigato, Shindou." He smiled and stood from the piano bench.

Walking over to a cord beside the wall, he tugged gently. Footsteps sounded outside the room, and then the doors opened. A girl a few years older than Tori entered, her lavender hair pulled into a simple bun. "You wished to see me, Shindou-sama?" The boy smiled and gestured to Tori. "Manami, please show Tori to our girl's guest room. Help her dress for dinner and anything else she needs." The maid nodded, adjusting the glasses that perched on the bridge of her slim nose. "Hai, Shindou-sama." She beckoned for Tori to follow her, and stepped outside of the room.

Shindou smiled at the girl that was now kneeling on the floor, picking up her blue hair ribbon. "I'm sorry about all the formality, Tori-san. It's just how my parents like to do things." The girl smiled at him as she stood, the slip of satin now nestled in her palm. "It's quite alright, Shindou-san. I'll see you at dinner!" And with that, she gracefully followed the servant into the corridor.

Manami led Tori through the house. Shyly, she asked, "I'm sorry, Tori-san, but have I seen you before?" The girl frowned. "I doubt it…" The maid smiled apologetically. "Oh, alright. I'm sorry for asking." Tori cocked her head as they rounded a corner. "Why? You would probably have gone crazy if you hadn't asked, right? It's perfectly fine." Color sprang to the young woman's high cheekbones. "Arigato, Tori-san. You know, you seem like a very nice person. It's just… when I look at your eyes, I could swear I've seen you before." Tori's heart leapt into her throat. The maid apologized again, and Tori hardly heard her. She knew she should have listened to Genda about her eyes! _I just wanted to look in the mirror and still see me…_

"Ah, here we are!" Manami opened a set of double doors, and Tori smiled at the beautiful room. It was large, with a four-poster bed in the corner, and a vanity with a mirror tall enough for a giraffe to use. A wardrobe stood opposite, and there were other bits of furniture around. An open door led to a bathroom on the left. "Now, if you'd like, that wardrobe is stocked for guests about your size, so you can look for something that suits your fancy. I'll pull out a hairbrush and things, and there is a sink and washcloths in the bathroom… oh, and makeup on the vanity." Manami smiled as she watched Tori head to the enormous closet. "So familiar…" The girl sighed sadly.

Manami glanced at her curiously. "Are you alright, Tori-san?" The pink haired girl nodded quickly and pulled open the large doors with some difficulty. Inside, all manner of fine clothes hung on expensive wooden hangers. Tori shuffled through them as Manami prattled on about how the rich do things. Tori laughed to herself. This had to be the chattiest maid she'd ever met, and that was saying something. "...And I should know about rich people, I have an uncle and aunt in Tokyo, and they're loaded. Their son is a genius, a smart boy, Jinichirou is. Smart, but sweet. Now, where is that hairbrush?…" The maid continued on and on.

Tori pulled out a dress that caught her eye, as it looked slightly familiar. "Ah, that dress is an exact replica of one that Ichisada Torina wore at her very first concert ever, four years ago. Isn't it pretty?" The maid's words made Tori stuff the orange gown back into the closet like it was a dead animal. Quickly, she pulled out something else. "I think I'll wear this one," Tori hopped out of the closet. Manami smiled at the garment in her hands. "Good choice, Tori-san. You have fine taste." Tori went into the bathroom and washed her face before changing into the gown. She walked out to stand in front of the full length mirror.

The dress was a forest green, flowing down to the floor, a simple A-line gown with short, fluttering sleeves and an organza overlay on the skirt. She twirled and watched her reflection as it mimicked her, the dress spinning outward prettily. Manami clapped. "Sugoi, Tori-san! You look like a forest sprite!" Tori smiled shyly, her cheeks dusted with pink at the maid's complement. She walked over and sat at the vanity, brushing her long hair before tying it up into a fancy bun, with stylish wisps of pink left to dangle by her ears. Adding a touch of natural-looking makeup and a pair of silver heels and earrings, her look was complete. She hoped it wasn't overdone. Her parents would think it was borderline casual, but she didn't care.

A gasp made her turn her head. Manami was staring at her, amazement filling every part of her face. "Tori-san, you look… beautiful." The girl blushed at her new friend's praise. "A-Arigato, Manami." Against her will, a memory surfaced in her mind, and she grimaced. A woman's voice, _Tori-chan, you look beautiful. If only your mean father would come to this concert, but he has meetings again. Who'd have thought such an ugly duckling as you would turn out to be this popular?…_

"Are you alright, Tori-san?" Tori snapped back into reality to see Manami watching her with concern. She smiled encouragingly, "of course. Let's go to the dining room now." Manami opened the door for her, and she swept gracefully through it. Her stomach fluttered with worry over meeting Shindou's parents. Would they like her? She certainly hoped so.

* * *

Shindou entered the familiarly large dining room, the impossibly long table running down the center of it. At one end, four places were set: one directly on the end for his father, the one to the right for his mother, and one across from her for him. The extra setting for Tori had been put beside his mother. He smiled. _They'll get along well._

He meandered over to that end of the room, his footsteps echoing in the quiet space. He walked past a mirror on the wall, and stopped to straighten the black tie he wore around his neck, a stark contrast to his pure white dress shirt. "Aw, that's my job." Shindou looked at the taller reflection that appeared beside his, and grinned. "You were taking too long." His mother laughed, her reddish-brown eyes shining with merriment. He definitely got his eyes from her. She was dressed in a long, elaborate blue evening gown, and her curly dark hair was pinned fancily. Her jewelry caught the light and sparkled, her perfect teeth nearly outshining them as she smiled. Shindou turned around and kissed her cheek, "you look stunning, Mama." Shindou Honoka giggled and kissed her son's forehead lightly. "See, that's why I keep you."

Shindou laughed as they walked together to the table. A man stood at the head, smiling happily. "Careful with the flattery there, son. Don't overuse it, that's how I get your mother to blush cutely." Shindou Daiki grinned cheekily at his wife, who unwillingly indulged him with pink creeping across her cheeks. He laughed, a contagious sound full of mirth. He wore a black suit, crisp without a wrinkle to be seen, and his short, grayish-brown hair, which was the same shade as his son's, was combed neatly. His green eyes could look very stern, but now they were crinkled at the corners as he watched his wife blushing. Shindou smiled blithely at his father, "I will be, Papa. Can't have Mama's adorable red face all to myself, now can I?" His father laughed even more at his son's words, and his mother stood behind her chair, covering her now beet red face.

"Gomennasai, am I interrupting?" Shindou whirled around to see Tori, lingering in the enormous doorway, and his breath caught in his throat. She looked _spectacular._ Her soft pink hair was up in a fancy bun, with curly tendrils framing her sweet, pale face. She was dressed in a beautiful green gown, the fabric of which seemed to float around her and pool at her feet. The sleeves fluttered, as if driven by an unfeelable breeze. She stood quietly, waiting to be invited in.

A voice from behind him interrupted Shindou's awestruck silence. "Ah, there you are, my dear. You must be Takuto's friend. Come in, come in!" Tori seemed to glide toward them as walked, spurred on by Shindou's father's words. The girl curtsied deeply to the man that stood at the end of the table. "Thank you for letting me come, Otosama." Daiki smiled merrily before saying, "you're quite welcome, dear. Now, none of that ridiculous formality. We may be rich, but we're not quite that snobby. You may call me...Papa. Does that sound alright to you, Hono-chan?" Shindou's mother nodded, smiling sweetly. "Hai, Dai-kun. And call me Mama, dear. Now, what's your name?"

The girl clasped her hands behind her back as she answered, "Kimiyama Tori… Mama." The woman patted the back of the chair beside, prompting Tori to come over there. "That's a lovely name, Tori-chan. Come, sit and we will eat." Tori walked over and stood patiently behind her chair. A servant pulled it out for her, and she sat down. Once they were all seated, staff members began to bring dishes out. Tori folded her hands in her lap as she waited, and Daiki began to tell a funny story about a woman that had brought a cat into their offices and promptly lost control of it, setting everyone running to catch it. Tori laughed when he explained that they found it, hours later, staring at the fish tank in the lobby. When they were served their food, Tori waited for the couple to begin their meal before she did.

"So, Tori-chan, you seem very familiar with this routine. Do you dine at rich men's houses often?" Shindou's father winked cheekily at her. Tori nearly dropped her fork, and giggled nervously. "I have a couple times, I suppose…" The man nodded matter-of-factly, "yes, I thought so. Takuto gets his amazing perception from me." His wife coughed gently. "Of course he does, Dai-kun." Tori smiled, thinking about how cute it was that this couple used such sweet nicknames.

Shindou's father swallowed his mouthful of rice and directed a question at Tori. "So, Tori-chan, what do you think of Takuto?" The girl grinned merrily, "I like him very much, Papa. He is a terrific person, and great friend. I can see he gets that from his parents." The cheerful man laughed loudly, turning to his son. "I like this girl! She's fantastic! Quite the charmer." Shindou's mother winked at her son playfully. "Flattery… well, there's one thing you have in common!" Her husband's mirth rekindled at her comment, and he set down his fork so as not to drop it as he dried his eyes. "Oh, my dear, you are too funny!" She smiled devotedly at him. "One of the many good reasons you married me, right?" He nodded emphatically and looked at her adoringly. "Right you are, darling!" Tori smiled at the couple. Her parents would never act so nicely toward each other ever, much less with other people around.

"Ne, Mama, we have more than flattery in common." Shindou told his mother. The woman quirked a dainty eyebrow at her son. "Oh, really? Like what?" Shindou wondered at his mother's tone, but continued anyway, "well, we both play soccer. You should see Tori play, she's amazing! And we're both classical musicians." Papa looked at Tori after his son's short list, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Is she, now?" Tori's cheeks turned scarlet as the usually quiet Shindou nodded and kept talking. "Yeah! You guys should hear her play. Honestly, she's the best I've ever heard. And her singing… boy, can she sing. Oh oh, how about after dinner you listen to her play?" Tori wished the table wasn't so wide so she could kick him and make him be quiet. His parents both nodded simultaneously. Honoka smiled sweetly at Tori. "I can't wait to hear you, my dear."

Tori nodded happily, burying her dread. Would it ever end? She had to get away from the music, not encourage it! Shindou just didn't understand. She made herself focus on the conversation, soon forgetting her worry as she chatted and laughed with the family, feeling like finally, she had found a place where she belonged.

* * *

"Sugoi, Tori-chan! Who knew there was someone around here that could rival Taku-kun?" Honoka hugged the girl as she stood from her seat on the piano bench. Daiki wiped his eyes, sniffling loudly. "That's one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. Gets me every time." Shindou stared at his father disbelievingly. "Papa, that was 'Think of Me'. It's not that sad." His mother shot him a warning look as his father huffed and crossed his arms. "Yes it is. Maybe not to you, but everyone is different." Tori stifled a giggle as Shindou rolled his eyes. Honoka squeezed her hand, smiling happily. "I believe tonight was one of the loveliest visits we've had in years. Come see us again soon, Tori-chan." She leaned down and kissed the girl on the cheek. Smiling again, she went to the door of her son's parlor and waited for her husband to escort her out.

Daiki grinned at Tori and said, "it was wonderful to meet you, Tori. I know I showed my silly side a bit today, but at least you didn't come yesterday. I was in a such a mood, Hono-chan said she thought I was a bear! Of course, I don't even look like a bear…" The man pretended to look bewildered, then winked at her. Tori giggled as he bowed to her, and she curtsied in return. Daiki then joined his wife, and together they left the younger two alone.

Tori smiled at Shindou. "You have amazing parents, Shindou." The boy smiled. "I know. And um, Tori…" The girl turned to him as he flushed, almost embarrassedly. "W-Would you call me Takuto?" Tori smiled happily and nodded, "of course. You have a really nice name… Takuto." She blushed as she realized what she had said about his name, and he laughed softly. "Well, now we're even, first-name basis. So, do you want to work on geography now?" Tori nodded, hopping over to her book bag. Heaving it onto her shoulder, she trotted over to the coffee table and sat on the floor beside it. After dinner, she had changed back into her school uniform, but her hair was still up. She reached up and began pulling the bobby pins out of it, one by one.

Soon, it was hanging freely around her. _There. Much better._ Smiling, Shindou followed her to the coffee table, his book bag already lying on top of it. Opening their books, the duo worked together on their homework, Tori occasionally twisting locks of her hair, and Shindou often staring into space. The rain trickled slowly outside, the perfect accompaniment as the sun set in the gloomy sky.

**And there you go! I hope you liked it, let me know what you think with a review! :D**

**Ja ne, mina!**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello all!**

**It's really late, so I'm not gonna say much here. :) This chapter is pretty important, and I hope you like the plot twist. ^v^ I think there are about two more chapters and an epilogue, so we're almost done! *sniffs* So sad...**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything...**

Chapter Seven

The sound of the iron gate closing still rang through the dark street as Shindou walked Tori home. '_It's the polite thing to do,' _he had told her. So, they walked side by side, and this time there was no umbrella to block the sky.

The rain had stopped, as if just for them, and the stars sparkled, like a trillion diamonds had been thrown so high that they could never come down. Tori gazed up at those stars, and when Shindou looked at her, they reflected in her eyes, seeming to multiply, until he was lost in their depths, preferring the dazzling orbs to the endless sky.

All of a sudden, the spell was broken when Tori tripped and began to fall. "Whoa there!" Shindou jumped to catch her, and she landed safely in his arms.

She flushed, embarrassed. "A-Arigato, Takuto. I am such a klutz. Haruna-san is always telling me my tripping habits will send me right over a cliff someday."

Shindou chuckled softly as he righted her, but didn't let go of her hand. "Well then, I'll just have to keep you away from cliffs." Tori giggled, face still pink as he held her hand, shockwaves shooting up her arm from the point of contact. She entwined her fingers with his, and the boy smiled. "Is this okay?" He asked after a moment's silence. Tori nodded, and they continued down the street.

* * *

"Do you see them?" Daiki asked his wife. The woman was fussing with the curtains in their bedroom, straining to see her son in the darkness beyond. "Eto… let's see… ah, now I see them!"

The man chuckled at his wife's elation as she stood, plastered to the window. "Well, what are they doing, Hono-chan? Did he kiss her yet?"

Honoka rolled her eyes at her husband, "of course not, honey. He's way too young and besides, he knows better. But… I think they're holding hands!"

Daiki looked up from his paperwork, his work stressed face lighting up slightly. "Well, that's a start, anyway." The couple continued to chat about their beloved son, and the mysterious girl he had brought to visit.

* * *

"Thanks for walking me home, Takuto-san." Tori lingered outside the gate of Otonashi Haruna's house, talking to the boy that she had grown to appreciate much more after that evening.

Shindou smiled and squeezed her hand, answering, "it was my pleasure, Tori. The streets are no place for a lady alone, especially after dark."

The girl nodded in agreement. "Yeah. In Tokyo, I was never allowed out alone. Ever…"

The end of her sentence was almost too quiet for the boy to hear. He reluctantly let go of her hand, immediately missing the warmth of it in his. Tori smiled. "See you at school tomorrow, Takuto-kun."

Shindou nodded, then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "See you." He murmured quietly before turning and going back the way he had come. Tori stood, frozen, the latch of the gate in one hand, the other feeling her cheek. _What just happened?_ The spot felt like a million burns, and yet was as pleasant as a garden on a beautiful spring day.

Dazedly, she let herself in the gate and into the house. Practically falling out of her outdoor shoes, she slipped on her house pair and meandered up the stairs. Safely in her bedroom, she lifted the curtain and looked out the window to see Shindou, walking home, hands in his pockets. She smiled, and watched him until he was out of sight. _He's so graceful… _

Sighing, she turned around and pulled her book bag onto her bed. Tugging on the clasp, she lifted the flap and smiled at the sight that greeted her. A green garment was gently tucked inside, and she pulled it out, remembering the kind words of Shindou's mother. "_I've never seen anyone look so ravishing, Tori-chan. You must keep that dress. It will never look the same on anyone else. Green is definitely your color, dear._ The girl hugged the dress happily, then hung it in her closet, humming as she did so.

Startled by an urgent knock at the door, she called out, "Hai?"

Haruna stuck her head in, face full of concern. "Are you alright, Tori-chan?"

The girl nodded at her caretaker, confused. "Hai, Haruna-san, I'm fine. What makes you ask?"

The woman giggled a little, looking sheepish. "W-Well, I heard you humming, and I thought, you know… because of what Genda-kun said…"

Tori clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oops. Gomen, Haruna-san. I forgot. No music. No music." Haruna left the girl to remind herself that playing at Shindou's house, singing, those wonderful things that she could spend every waking moment doing, were forbidden. No more. No one would ever find out. She changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, sighing happily as sleep overcame her.

* * *

_The garden was beautiful, as usual. Although, it becomes hard to appreciate the only place place outdoors you're ever allowed to go. I wandered around, staring longingly at the fifteen foot stone wall that held me captive. What was it like on the other side? _

_Suddenly, a figure entered the enormous courtyard, and my eyes widened in fear. Mama? Wait, I shouldn't be here. I was gone! I turned and ran, confused. Why am I home? She called out my name, "Tori-chan…" But I didn't stop. I ran and ran, but never moved from that spot. The wall began to close in on me, suffocating me, trapping me. A lion flashed in front of me, holding out his paw. Then a raven swooped down, and the image was gone, replaced by cobblestone. I screamed at the top of my lungs, despite what it does to my voice. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited to be crushed._

Tori sat up quickly, he blanket bunching around her slim waist. _It was just a dream…_ Sighing in relief, she stood and wandered over to the window, looking out over the street, which was bathed in moonlight. Hugging herself tightly, she suddenly felt very small. _Did I make the right choice?_ She glanced around the room, taking in the soccer posters, pink, and immaculate neatness. Taking a shuddering breath she nodded slowly. "Yes. I belong here."

* * *

In class the next day, Shindou had a hard time focusing as he remembered what Tori had told him before she left his house. _Please, Takuto. You can't tell anyone. Pretend I never played for you, my music skills, they're nonexistent. Okay? You can never tell…_

He glanced over at her as she happily gave Sensei Aika her geography homework. That girl was good at geography. The teacher smiled cheerfully at Tori before proceeding to the next student, talking all the while about the quiz on Friday. Shindou added the quiz to his mental list for that day. They had a game that day, too. Tori's first one. Shindou wondered silently what her deal was, with all the secrecy. A talent like that deserved to be shared, not hidden.

He dutifully kept up with geography class, but his mind kept drifting over to the girl, sitting a few feet to his right. She, unlike him, looked cool as a cucumber, taking notes, folding her hands as she listened to the teacher. A model student. Inwardly Shindou sighed in frustration. _Why can't I be my usually perfect-student self? Tori is just too distracting! _

Hayami glanced between the two, and sighed sadly. _Oh well. It's not like I had a chance with her, anyway… _After class, he stopped his friend outside the door. "Shindou-kun!"

Shindou turned and looked at him curiously. "Nani, Hayami-kun?"

The boy adjusted his round spectacles before blurting, "take care of her, okay?"

Shindou looked slightly taken aback. But he smiled at Hayami's sweetness, and placed a hand on the scrawny boy's shoulder as he answered very seriously. "Always. Arigato, Hayami."

The redhead nodded and abruptly turned and walked to his next class. Blinking away the mist that formed in his eyes, he resolved that this was for the better. He'd get over Tori soon enough. Besides, he'd still see her all the time! Smiling, he entered History, his favorite class. The teacher thought he was a little weird, smiling like that, but shrugged it off. He was a teenage boy. What can you do about it?

* * *

Tori entered the clubroom, all decked out in her soccer uniform and ready for practice. But the sight that greeted her didn't look to be very promising. The players and managers were all standing in a huddle, chattering agitatedly. Tori heard someone come up behind her, and turned to see Shindou.

He frowned at the team, then grinned at her. "Wanna go see what all the fuss is about?" The girl nodded, her usual ponytail bouncing.

They entered the room together, and Hayami hailed them. "Oi, Shindou-kun! Tori! Did you see the news last night?" The duo furrowed their eyebrows and shook their heads simultaneously, but Kariya seemed too occupied to notice.

Kurama took over from Hayami's lead, saying in his usual calm voice, "A man got arrested in Tokyo yesterday. Seems like he might have something to do with a kidnapping."

Amagi frowned at his junior as he interjected, "_a_ kidnapping? It has to be the biggest kidnapping of the century!"

Shindou held up his hands, silencing the bickering friends. "Oi oi, let's not get upset. Who was kidnapped? I want a sane explanation. Aoyama, you're explaining."

The quiet younger boy jumped, surprised. "E-Eh?! Why me?" Shindou gave him an expectant look, and he sighed in defeat. "Oh, alright. So, you know, like, four months ago or something, this girl, a celebrity named Ichisada Torina, disappeared. Lots of theories were thrown around as to how and why, but the most popular one was always kidnapping. Well, some guy showed up at the police station, saying that he saw her with a man at this museum. Turns out, after they arrested the suspect, that he was the curator of the museum. The media's going nuts, trying to find where he must have been hiding this girl. I would have thought you'd know a lot about this girl, Shindou-san. She's a classical musician, after all."

Shindou nodded after Aoyama's speech, replying. "I do. I listen to her music a bit, I mean, she's a fantastic musician. I just didn't think they'd ever find her, is all. Wow, this must make her parents so happy. I bet they were worried." He was too busy talking with everyone to notice Tori's eyes as they misted over.

Sangoku grinned teasingly. "Turns out Kariya here has quite the fanboy crush."

Everyone laughed as the teal haired defender turned scarlet. "S-So? She's perfect! Like an angel, sent straight from heaven so we could enjoy her beautiful voice."

Kageyama Hikaru laughed at his best friend. "Wow, Kariya-san, who knew you could be so poetic?"

More laughter followed his comment, and Kariya's blush deepened. "What? Wouldn't it be amazing to meet her? I bet I would recognize her anywhere!"

Tori smiled sourly. "No, Kariya-kun, I don't think you would." Kariya frowned at her, a retort forming on his lips.

Midori spoke hastily before they could argue further, "Ichisada Torina is a great musician. Her technique is flawless."

"Beautiful," Kariya sighed dreamily, his disagreement with Tori forgotten.

Shindou's smile faded as he turned to Tori, realization in his eyes. "And _just like yours._" A tear slipped from the girl's bright eyes, and she whirled around, fleeing the clubroom.

Ichino scratched his head in the stunned silence that followed. "Eto… what just happened?" The team stared at their former captain in shock, except for Kariya, whose unbelieving gaze was fixed on the door. Shindou sighed, "I think we've found Ichisada Torina."

**And there you have it! Leave me a review if you have time, it would mean so much to me. :D**

**Until we meet again! ^w^**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hi there!**

**Sorry this took me so long, mina-san~! :) I hope you enjoy this chapter, where we learn all about Tori! :D**

**Oh, and y'all should check out the poll on my profile. It needs voters! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own IE:Go, but I do own Kimiyama Tori. ^_^ Enjoy, mina-san**

Chapter Eight

Tori sobbed as she sat in the park, the tree behind her the only thing keeping her from laying on the ground in despair. She'd thought she made it, that she was safe. She found a place with friends, a pleasant new experience, and a soccer team, the sport she'd grown to love so well. Everything had been perfect.

She punched the ground angrily, her sobbing deepening for a moment as she rubbed her knuckles, red from where she'd hit a tree root. She covered her face, silently hoping that her friend was alright. Darn whoever that idiot was that lied to the police! She'd find him first, and make him pay. Then she'd go rescue Genda, there was no helping it now. She had to go back to that awful place. Back to her parents, her prison, her seclusion… Maybe she could let her hair grow back to it's usual length and color. She pulled the sky-blue ribbon from her ponytail, causing all her hair to cascade around her shoulders. She fingered it lovingly, staring at it's nostalgic color.

"Mind if I join you?" Tori looked up, startled, into a pair of red-brown eyes, filled with concern. She sniffled and shrugged.

Shindou sat beside her, clasping his knees in front of him. "So, do you want to talk about it?"

Tori stared at a ladybug climbing on a fallen leaf, completely ignoring the two humans that sat near it. She sighed and began to talk, and Shindou leaned forward, listening intently.

"You don't know what it was like, Takuto. When I was little, they loved me. I remember. My third birthday party was held in our little apartment, just me and my parents. We didn't have a lot, but we had each other. Helping Mama cook, and clean… I was a content little child. Then, one day, my father came home. He and Mama talked in the kitchen for hours, and I was in my room, playing with my doll. The next day, Papa told me that he'd had an enormous break in his little business, and that we'd be moving. At first, I was excited. A new house with my favoritest Mama and Papa. What could be better?" A small sob escaped her lips, and Shindou's eyes misted over, anticipating what came next.

"Papa was always gone, working. Mama never cooked and cleaned anymore, because we had servants for that. When I was five, I started attending a Preschool in central Tokyo. Our estate is just outside of the capital, so I was driven every day. I loved to sing to myself in my bedroom, and once I even wrote a song for a friend of mine. I can still remember her name: Mizukawa Minori. The other kids thought she was scary, but I loved her. She had such a fiery spirit!

"Well, one fateful day, as they say, my mother happened to walk past my room as I was singing. She was shocked to hear her young daughter singing so well, and hired me a private teacher. Miyukaze-sensei. He is a wise man, and he means well, even if he is harsh. Under his guidance, I thrived, even picking up the piano. My mama decided that I must devote all of my time to my studies, and so hired me private teachers for everything, and pulled me out of school, never to return. I spent my middle years learning, and in my free time, I wandered around the garden, and read fairy tales. Oh, the garden. Never was a prison so beautiful and taunting. It was surrounded by a wall so high and smooth, an olympic athlete couldn't hope to climb it." She paused and sighed before continuing.

"When I was ten, Miyukaze-sensei and Mama deemed me ready, and got Papa to agree. I made my debut as a classical musician the very next week. Everyone went crazy, and they all loved me. 'Finally,' I thought, 'maybe Mama will let me free to make friends and _live_ again'. But alas, it was not to be. My parents see me as a money earning machine. For the last four years I've been performing, which was the only upside. I love singing and playing, so that was never hard for me. It was the highlight of my pathetic life. But the constant interviews, photoshoots, press meetings, avoiding sneaky companies with contracts, and getting marriage proposal after marriage proposal. Honestly, that was the _worst. _Creepy older men, guys who didn't care I was only a preteen, men who would wait, seven year old boys, ugh." The girl shuddered and Shindou frowned as he got hung up on picturing the creepy old men. But Tori wasn't done. Oh, far from it.

"Seriously, they were horrible. So anyway, I hated my life, if it could even be called that. One day, on a mad impulse, I left. It was no easy task, sneaking out of our house. It was really as good as a prison. But, I managed it, with no little amount of bribing and holding my breath as I stood behind tapestries. When I was out, I ran to the first place I could think of: the Art Museum. I'd always wanted to go there. After wandering around, looking at the exhibits, hiding from everybody, Gaping over artwork, I eventually collapsed, sobbing, in an exhibit about the beginning of time. And then, he found me. The curator. His side-swept pointed brown hair looked a little like a lion, but his gray eyes were kind, although the strange stripes beneath them scared me a bit. He asked me what was wrong, and I stuttered, didn't he know me? But he didn't recognize my name, and before I realized it, I was pouring out my story to him, and begging for his help. He smiled, and agreed to assist me. He stood and held out his hand, introducing himself. 'Genda Koujirou.' My best friend.

"He took me in, and hid me from the press, which went berserk trying to find me. I told him that to reenter society, I needed new interests. He suggested soccer, and I remember wrinkling my nose, not impressed and completely uninterested. But he insisted, so I tried it. And I don't know what it was that changed, but I couldn't get enough of it. It's by no means a replacement for music, which holds the monopoly on my heart, but I do love soccer. Genda-san always snickered whenever I said that kind of thing, and he told me it was the blessing and the curse of the sport. Finally, when all the conspiracy theories concerning me had died down to a trickle, he gave me a makeover. Which, of course, we argued extensively about. I really didn't want it, but I know it was necessary. I wanted to keep my long hair; he asked how many kids I thought there were with knee length hair. I wanted to keep my natural, sky-blue hair; he insisted that was my trademark, and easily recognizable. The one thing that I couldn't let go of was my eyes. Genda-san suggested that I get color contacts. But I wanted to be able to look in the mirror, and still see _me._ You know what I mean?" Shindou nodded, and slipped an arm around her shoulder. They now sat very close, shoulders touching, because Shindou had gradually scooted closer as the girl talked. Tori, after a moment's hesitation, snuggled closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Shindou stroked her hair as she kept on with her story.

"So, we agreed on this. This pink hair, and oh, when I think of how much he cut off, I want to cry. But then again, it's much better for soccer this way. He said he had an old friend, Otonashi Haruna, who would help us. And he sent me here, as Haruna-san's cousin. Oh, I just love her. What I would give to have a sister like her! Anyway, you know the rest. I've never really had friends before, or gone to school, or just… gotten to know people. When I was tiny, but that's about it. Not having everyone just fawn over me has been so wonderful. And now, it's all gone. Every bit of it. I expect my parents will come to collect me when they find out. I know Genda-san won't tell them a word though, and it scares me. I don't want him to get hurt. So… it was so nice to get to meet you, Takuto-kun. But… I'm afraid I have to leave. Thank you, for being my friend." Tori turned her head and planted a soft kiss on Shindou's cheek. Shindou reached out and grabbed her wrist, preventing her from standing. "Tori, you can't go!"

She locked eyes with him, her vibrant orbs full of tears. "I have to." She responded quietly.

The boy shook his head, "we can tell the team it's a secret. They won't tell! I can get Papa to help your friend in Tokyo. You don't have to leave."

The girl opened her mouth to object again, and Shindou kept on, before she could speak, his normally calm, handsome face filled with panic. "Please, Tori. You just can't go! You… you can't leave me, Tori."

Tori choked back tears as her classmate trailed off. She saw a single droplet slide down Shindou's heartbroken face, and then she lost it. She threw herself into his arms and wept loudly, clinging to his shirt. "I just don't know what to do!"

Shindou tightened his arms around her dainty form, embracing her as she sobbed. He wasn't quite sure what to do, either. Did he do what he thought was best for her, or Genda, or himself?

Tori paused her flow of tears to hiccup sadly, "A-And my first… game was on Friday, too." Shindou buried his face in her soft, sweet-smelling hair, overcome with confliction.

As they sat there, birds chirping happily above them, Shindou was struck with an idea. "Tori?"

The girl looked up dismally, attempting to control her cascade of tears. She was like an emotional see-saw, happy one second, distraught the next. She'd always been that way. As Shindou whispered gently in her ear, the teardrops slowly fizzled out as the boy's idea worked it's way into her mind. She smiled, a tiny gesture that had sparks of pleasure and mischief behind it. Nodding, she stood quickly and thanked him. He just grinned, and she took off for her lodgings.

Once inside, she kicked off her cleats, not bothering to mess with her indoor shoes, and ran up to her bedroom. Sitting at her desk, she pulled out a pen and paper, and began a letter. The letter that, hopefully, would do everything she wanted. _Don't worry, Genda-san. Help is on it's way._

**Well there you have it. I hope you liked it! Please drop a review in the review box before leaving. XD Heehee. One more chappie then an epilogue... *sniff***

**Ja ne, mina!**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	10. Chapter 9

**Hi, mina-san~!**

**Here's the next to last chapter, all that's left is the epilogue. It's rather short, but I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OCs.**

Chapter Nine

"This is absurd!" A woman threw an envelope down in front of her husband, and resumed pacing the room, turquoise eyes alight with rage and disbelief. The man sighed, and pulled a hand from his sky-blue hair. He opened the delicate envelope, pulling out a folded piece of paper. When he did so, a worn blue ribbon fluttered out as well, landing on his desk in front of him. "Calm down, Hitomi, I'm sure it's not that outrageous." Ichisada Hiro unfolded the pink paper and began to read.

"_My dear Otosama and Okasama,_

_I am well and safe, hidden from prying eyes. I'm quite happy where I am, and have no wish to return home at the present moment. I demand that you release Genda Koujirou from the police's custody, or I will never come back. I have something very important to do, and in one month's time, if you have complied to my wishes, I will return home, at least for a while. If you think this is some kind of trick, as you most likely will if you're the people I know, then please heed my seal on the envelope and my signature. If that's not enough for you, as you are probably thinking 'forgery!', I have enclosed the ribbon that you gave me for my third birthday. Do you remember it? You bought it for me because it was the exact color of my hair. _

_Sincerely, _

_Your daughter,_

_~Ichisada Torina~_

He set the letter down gently, and picked up the long satin ribbon, fingering it lovingly. A rush of memories filled him, and he laid his head on the desk, weeping softly. "My poor daughter. My little darling, how could I have been such an awful father? I hardly even know what you look like! I can't believe what a horrible person I have become…"

Hitomi turned and stared at her husband as he cried, wishing that he had been a better parent. _Well, this is sudden!_ The woman walked to stand behind him, laying a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Hiro… it's for the best. She was a star! This all her own fault, she just has a bad attitude."

The man shook his head, not lifting his face from the mahogany. "No, it's because we failed. As parents, anyway."

Hitomi squeezed his shoulder, still not convinced. "Hiro, I don't think-"

"Please, Hitomi! It's our fault! Do you think you did what was best for her as our daughter, or as a celebrity?"

The woman looked startled from her husband's outburst. He had lifted his head off the desktop, and was staring at her, waiting for an answer. A hand snaked up to nervously twist a lock of her sunny golden hair. Her husband raised an eyebrow as he saw it, she hadn't done that for years. He smiled a little, thinking how cute it was. The first time he had set eyes on her, she was doing that, trying to figure out an algebra problem as she sat in the park. She wore glasses then and was quite an adorable nerd.

Hitomi spoke quietly, pulling him out of his reverie. "I think it's one and the same. She got to play music all the time! Don't you think that's what she wanted?"

Hiro put a hand over the dainty one on his shoulder and smiled sadly. "No, I don't. Surely you see what I'm trying to say, Hito-chan?"

The woman gasped at the use of the old pet name. She averted her gaze from the green one that was staring at her intently. "Hai, Hiro-kun…"

Her husband grinned as he stood from his seat at the paper-filled desk and embraced her. She stood, stunned for a moment before gently hugging him back. It felt so good to do that after so long… all the stupid arguments forgotten, she murmured softly, "perhaps one good thing came from Torina running off…" Hiro chuckled and nodded, suddenly unable to wait for the month to be over.

* * *

"Best. Game. EVER!" Tori squealed and pulled Aoi into a bone crunching hug.

The manager chuckled hoarsely, "uh-huh. T-Tori, I can't breath…"

The other girl let go of her, smiling sheepishly. "Hehe, gomen, Aoi."

Aoi grinned and giggled. "That's okay, Tori-chan. And you're right! I'd say your first game was a success."

Tori nodded and jumped up and down. "I know, I loved it! I definitely have to play more games before I leave."

Aoi's blue eyes filled with tears. Tori frowned, "whoa whoa, what's this? Don't cry, Aoi-chan!"

The manager rubbed her eyes and sniffed, "but I don't want you to go, Tori-chan!"

Tori smiled at her friend. "I'll come back for visits, and we can write to each other."

Aoi put her hands on her hips, suddenly switching from upset to demanding, "I want to video chat at least once a week." Tori chuckled, a bead of sweat falling down her temple. "H-Hai…"

"So, are you gonna ask her?" Kirino asked his friend.

Shindou shrugged, his chin length hair wavier than usual due to his sweating during the game. "I don't know, Kirino… what if she says no? I mean, I don't know that _she _likes _me…_"

His best friend rolled his eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short, Shindou. Check out the way she looks at you!" Shindou's gaze shifted from Kariya, who was in a trance, staring at the picture he'd had Akane take the other day of him and Tori, which he had asked the undercover girl to sign, to follow Kirino's to Tori as she chatted with the managers.

The girl looked radiant, obviously pleased that she won the first soccer match that she ever played. Her gaze shifted over to Shindou, as it had been periodically. She smiled shyly then looked away, blushing as she realized he'd caught her. Kirino chuckled softly, "if that's not love, then I sure don't know what is."

Shindou's face turned red, and he thanked his best friend.

Kirino just grinned and said, "go get her, Shindou." The boy looked at him gratefully, and took a deep breath. Seeing Tori gathering her things, he walked over to her, stomach twisting in knots at what she would say. He really hoped she would accept. She was the only one he could ever want for his girlfriend.

**And there you have it! The next update will be the last... :'( Please review~! ^v^**

**Ja ne, mina!**

**~Swaggy-chan**


	11. Epilogue

**Well hey there, you~! :D**

**Here it is, the last chapter. :'( I will miss you all! You must promise to visit me at my other fics! XD (I'm working on my Tsurugi One-shot~! ;) )**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my OCs. :) Enjoy, mina-san.**

Epilogue

The concert hall was packed. Japan's favorite classical musician had been found, and everyone was dying to see her. A special performance had been advertised, guest starring a secret artist, and all the media people were going out of their minds wondering who it was.

A long, slender finger parted the curtain slightly to allow a turquoise eye to rove over the crowd. A small sigh escaped a pair of red lips, and the finger dropped the heavy fabric.

"Nervous?" The figure whirled around, sky-blue hair flipping at it's owner's sudden movement.

"Nervous? O-Of course not, Takuto-kun!"

The boy smiled sweetly and unbelievingly at her. "Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say, Tori-chan."

Tori giggled softly. "You look dashing, Takuto-kun."

Shindou was wearing a black tuxedo, the coat of which had tails, with a white shirt underneath, his black bow-tie immaculately straight. He wore white gloves, which added to his overall charm. His brown hair was combed nicely as it fell to brush his slim chin, and his bangs covered his forehead in thick ripples.

He smiled lovingly and replied, "I'm a mere shadow when you're around, dear."

Tori blushed as her own glove-clad hand reached up to brush a long tendril of hair out of her heart-shaped face. It had been growing quickly, much to her delight, and now brushed just below her slim waist. She was wearing a simple, A-line forest green dress that seemed to float around her. With it's organza overlay and fluttering sleeves, it gave Shindou an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Except that now Tori's soft hair, up in it's fancy bun, was a breathtaking shade of blue, and she also wore a set of jewelry that sparkled whenever the light hit it.

Tori's voice broke him out of his nostalgia. "It's just the first time I've had a concert in so long… what if I mess it up?" She was twisting a lock of the hair that framed her face, as she was prone to do when she was worried.

Shindou embraced her reassuringly. "You won't. Remember, you're just doing what you love. It's like playing at my house. Just pretend nobody's around."

Tori nodded as she buried her face in his shoulder, breathing deeply. Whoa, he smelled good! A loud clearing of a throat brought the pair out of their little bubble, and they let go of each other quickly.

Hiro smiled at his daughter. "It's time, Tori-chan." She nodded as her father frowned teasingly at Shindou, making the _I'm watching you sign_. The boy grinned, a bead of sweat falling down the side of his face.

A woman rushed over to Tori and hugged her tightly. "Break a leg, Tori-chan!"

Tori muttered a thanks to her mother, overwhelmed by how affectionate her parents had become when she came back. She felt a hand slip into hers, and she smiled up at her boyfriend.

Shindou grinned, asking playfully, "is this okay?" Tori nodded, and the couple stepped out onto the stage, bright lights temporarily blinding them.

A large group of young teenagers applauded wildly on the front row, the loudest of which were a teal haired boy, a red haired boy, and a dark blue haired girl. The redhead shifted a pair of round glasses, and his best friend nudged him, but no longer in a teasing manner. The dark haired girl grinned at her boyfriend that sat beside her, and he smiled back, the odd twists in his brown hair hard to see because of the darkness over their heads.

In the prime seats of the theatre sat a couple, pride written all over their faces as they watched their son take a bow, his fingers still entwined with his girlfriend's. "Do you think he's kissed her yet?" The man asked his wife, and she shoved him playfully as he laughed softly, a volume that was hard for him.

A few seats beside them, a man with an orange sweatband sat beside his wife, her auburn hair loose around her shoulders. Beside her sat a woman with navy hair that fell in waves to her shoulders, grinning madly at her brother, whose goggles were off for once. Next to him was his oldest friend, who now curated the finest museum in Tokyo. The man's sideways-spiked hair partially covered his face as he smiled proudly at the girl that he had rescued. _Fly, Tori. Now you're free to soar._ Genda let a tear trickle down his face, since it was dark in the audience. He would indulge himself this once. For the sweet, lost, unloved girl that had hidden in his museum.

She looked radiant as she stood by the piano, the love of her young life seated at the piano, ready to accompany her. Her angelic young voice filled the vast space, singing a new song that none of the concert attendees had heard before, composed by the young couple on the stage. 'Of Soccer and Music', the program identified the name of the touching song of sports, surprises and happily-ever-afters.

Shindou looked up at Tori as she sang to the audience, her sweet voice able to melt the most frigid of hearts. He smiled, happiness filling every ounce of his being. Tori was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he would cherish her forever.

**Well it's over. :'( What did you think? I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And thus ends my very first fanfic! :) Don't forget to review~! XD**

**Ja ne, mina.**

**~Swaggy-chan**


End file.
